Hunter S. Thompson: July 18, 1937-Feb 20, 2005

Posted: Feb 20, 2011

Hunter S. Thompson: July 18, 1937-Feb 20, 2005

‘And I will give him the morning star.’

“That’s from Revelation—once again. I have stolen more quotes and thoughts and purely elegant little starbursts of writing from the Book of Revelation than anything else in the English language—and it is not because I am a biblical scholar or because of any religious faith, but because I love the wild power of language and the purity of the madness that governs it and makes music.”
--Hunter. S. ThompsonGeneration of Swine Gonzo Papers Vol. 2 Tales of Shame And Degradation In the 80s

Six years ago today Hunter S. Thompson fatally shot himself in his Woody Creek, Colorado kitchen. The Louisville, Kentucky, native is best known for his books Hells Angels, Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, Fear & Loathing On the 72 Campaign Trail, The Proud Highway, The Great Shark Hunt, Hey Rube!, Better Than Sex and Kingdom of Fear.

In the good Doctor’s honor today I’d like to shine a light on his book of photographs, Gonzo. Fellow Louisville native Johnny Depp wrote the introduction to the collection. The book contains timeless, famous, incriminating and many unseen photographs all from Thompson’s personal archive. The book is divided into the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Rare Thompson photos capture vintage images of the Hells Angels, Las Vegas, Key West, San Francisco, Woody Creek and even Hawaii. Color and black & white photos include guns, drugs, remote landscapes, money, women and other notable pictures that etch indelible images in the memory. This 240-page book showcases rare photographs from one of America’s most resonating writers.